Chapter 430: Bright Stars

"Ankang, this way."

The three little ones who had just finished eating secretly returned to the banquet venue, and someone greeted them from afar.

Looking around, it was the Fifth Prince and others who were already sitting at their seats.

The seating arrangement at the Chongyang Banquet is also very knowledgeable.

For these royal descendants, in addition to looking at the ranking, they also look at the palaces they belong to.

Brothers and sisters from the same palace will be arranged together as much as possible, unless the ranking is too different.

Therefore, the eldest prince's three brothers and sisters and the third prince and others are all at another table.

Princess Ankang sat with the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Princess, the Eighth Prince and others as a matter of course.

As for Princess Yuan'an, it is reasonable that she should not be at the same table with them, but I don't know what method she used, but she still sat with them tonight.

The few people are close to each other, and now sitting at the same table, naturally there is a lot to talk about.

"Ankang, why did you take so long?"

"Eat quickly, eat quickly, if you don't eat, the banquet will be dismissed."

The Eighth Prince ate the food without caring about his image and called Ankang.

Looking at him like this, he was completely revived from the previous competition.

"Myna, are you okay?"

Princess Ankang asked with concern.

At the end of the last final, the Eighth Prince was so tired that he fainted.

The Eighth Prince blushed and buried his head in eating, and answered without raising his head:

"Oh, it's nothing, I just need to rest."

"Just now, I might have been too excited and couldn't control myself for a while, so I lay down to celebrate my second place."

The Eighth Prince stubbornly refused to admit that his physical strength was not as good as Princess Ankang, and he made nonsense excuses for himself.

"Yes, yes, you fainted because you were happy, not tired, and everyone can see it."

Princess Yuan An mocked mercilessly on the side.

The Eighth Prince did not want to dwell on this topic too much, and immediately changed the subject:

"Eat, eat, eat, don't be polite."

After saying that, he ate voraciously.

According to the Eighth Prince's personality, it is impossible for him to say that he had recovered after taking the elixir before.

Otherwise, he might not even have the strength to lift the chopsticks now.

Seeing the Eighth Prince eating honestly, several people could not help but wink and laugh.

The Eighth Prince just pretended that they did not see it, and ate non-stop with a hum.

The three little ones came here when they were full before, so they did not have much interest in the food on the table, just occasionally picking up a little to taste.

But except for the Eighth Prince, the others were actually in a similar state.

Princess Ankang could not help but ask curiously:

"Hey, are you all full?"

"Why do you eat so little?"

Princess Ankang looked at the untouched food on the table and felt a little puzzled.

"Alas, I envy the Eighth Prince at this time."

Hearing this question, the Fifth Prince beside him could not help but sigh.

Princess Ankang was even more confused.

At this time, the Eighth Prince, who had already eaten a lot of oil, said proudly:

"You are just being hypocritical."

"If you ask me, there is nothing more important than filling your stomach."

After that, the Eighth Prince continued to eat.

The Fifth Prince immediately shook his head and sighed:

"We must save the people that the Eighth Prince lost, otherwise, will the face of the royal family be preserved in the future?"

The Eighth Prince rolled his eyes and ignored the Fifth Prince, the sour scholar.

It turned out that they, as royal heirs, could not let go.

After all, this was not their usual meal in their own palaces, but there were countless eyes staring at them.

Therefore, the royal heirs at the banquet were particularly concerned about etiquette and demeanor.

It was easy for the princes to eat 50% to 60% full.

As for the princesses, they will suffer. Not only will they be hungry all day, but they will also have nothing to eat at night.

Li Xuan looked around and saw that the other princesses kept their cherry mouths tightly closed. Occasionally, they opened their mouths only to take in some exquisite pastries and chew them slowly for a long time.

With such a way of eating, it is impossible to be full.

After looking around, it was only the Eighth Prince who was eating normally.

The three children looked at each other silently, secretly thanking that they had eaten their fill in the carriage before coming here.

"It's not easy to be born in the royal family."

Seeing that even the sleepy Seventh Princess maintained her demeanor and didn't eat much at this time, Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

Fortunately, the meal was arranged at night, otherwise, with the Seventh Princess's schedule, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to eat this little pastry.

Even as a royal heir, it is difficult to escape the herd mentality. Others are doing this, and if you don't do this, you will appear to be different.

There are very few examples like the Eighth Prince who, in the eyes of outsiders, "abandoned themselves".

After listening to the words of the Fifth Prince and others, Princess Ankang could understand their actions.

After all, there were many eyes on them.

It was okay to be stared at like in the previous Cuju game.

But if one's every word and action was observed by others, it would inevitably make people more and more uncomfortable.

When the fifth prince saw that Princess Ankang listened to him and ate food in small bites and ate very little, he could not help but nod.

He was really afraid that Princess Ankang was used to being alone and would learn from the eighth prince to be independent.

In such occasions, if it is not necessary, it is better to be low-key.

At least it will not leave a bad impression on people.

The fifth prince thought that Princess Ankang listened to his advice, but he didn't know that she was really full.

Of course, eating is just the prelude to the dinner.

The real highlight is the free communication after the banquet.

Princess Ankang saw that the food on their table that had not been touched was removed, and then replaced with fruits, snacks and tea.

The banquet became more lively.

Everyone stood up from their seats, greeted their acquaintances, started chatting and laughing, and introduced others to each other to expand their social circles.

Slowly, the crowd gathered on their own, the little kids played together, and the adults also gathered in groups of two or three.

The mediocre teenagers were gradually attracted to each other, and they had friendly or intense exchanges.

"This is more like a banquet."

Li Xuan couldn't help but say secretly when he saw the lively banquet.

Many people immediately gathered around the royal heirs. The fifth prince and the seventh princess were immediately taken away. They seemed to be peers of their mother's family.

"Alas, sister, I guess I will be taken away by the Wu family later. If I can get out, I will come to find you and Ah Xuan."

Princess Yuan An said reluctantly.

"From what you said, it seems that you don't like dealing with them. Aren't they all your relatives?"

Princess Ankang asked curiously.

It was her first time to attend the Chongyang Banquet, and she didn't know much about many things.

"Relatives?"

"Actually, I can't say they are that close."

"You're just making small talk to kill time and asking me about my sister."

Princess Yuan An seemed to have anticipated the situation, and her face was full of helplessness.

And at this moment, someone came to look for her.

"Your Highness Yuan An, I haven't seen you for a year, and you have grown up to be a beautiful lady."

Princess Yuan An's face flashed with fatigue, and then she immediately forced a smile and turned around to say hello.

The person who came to look for Princess Yuan An said a few words to her, and then asked him to meet with the people of the Wu family.

Princess Ankang looked at Princess Yuan'an's back as she was reluctantly taken away, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Alas, it's not easy for everyone."

Then, Princess Ankang turned to look at the Eighth Prince who was drinking tea and burping, and couldn't help asking:

"My dear, what about you?"

"No one came to see you?"

In Princess Ankang's impression, the Eighth Prince's mother's family was also quite famous, otherwise his life in the palace would not be so easy.

"I have no interest in this kind of hypocritical communication."

"Ankang, I said before that I would take you to find some fun at the banquet."

"Don't worry, my dear will keep his promise."

"Wait for me to digest the food, and then we'll set off."

The Eighth Prince patted his belly, and seemed very confident in his arrangements.

Princess Ankang nodded happily, and was also looking forward to what fun the Eighth Prince could find for them.

Last time, when the Eighth Prince left the palace, he took them to the Seventh Half Moon Buddhist Meeting at Ci'en Temple, and they also released river lanterns together to mourn their deceased mother.

That was the first time Princess Ankang participated in the Seventh Half Moon Buddhist Meeting, and it was also the first time she released river lanterns for her deceased mother, which was very memorable.

Therefore, Princess Ankang was also looking forward to it this time.

However, looking at the whole place full of nobles busy socializing, Princess Ankang and Li Xuan couldn't help but wonder what fun there was.

But at this moment, the crowd in the distance slowly separated, and everyone began to greet each other enthusiastically.

The voices of those people greeting each other also reached the ears of Princess Ankang and others.

"Duke Hu."

"Duke Hu, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still as charming as ever."

"Duke Hu, I offer you a glass of wine..."

Hearing this address, the Eighth Prince didn't care about his round belly. He stood up from his seat and greeted:

"Ankang, go!"

After that, the Eighth Prince was ready to escape first.

Before Princess Ankang could react, the Eighth Prince was stopped by someone.

"Boy, you can hide on the first day, but can you hide on the fifteenth day?"

Duke Hu Qin Zongyong parted the crowd and walked over here.

Qin Zongyong smiled at the others, and everyone stepped aside tactfully.

They had heard about the Eighth Prince a long time ago and knew that the Qin family had been troubled by the Eighth Prince's performance.

They knew that Qin Zongyong might teach this unworthy grandson a lesson again, so they avoided this place.

Qin Zongyong was followed by three people, one was a middle-aged man, and the other two were teenagers who were about the same age as the Eighth Prince.

If Li Xuan was right, they should all be from the Qin family.

Being called by Qin Zongyong in person, the Eighth Prince couldn't turn around and leave, so he had to turn around and bow to Qin Zongyong.

"Grandfather."

"Wow, Your Highness the Eighth Prince actually remembers that I am your grandfather?"

"It really makes me embarrassed!"

Qin Zongyong replied exaggeratedly, which made the Eighth Prince feel uncomfortable.

But facing Duke Hu, the Eighth Prince didn't say anything, just smiled at the side.

"Grandpa, what are you talking about? I am your grandson. You are meeting your Highness, aren't you meeting your Highness?"

"Humph, I am meeting your Highness."

Duke Hu wanted to say something, but he noticed Princess Ankang sitting next to him and immediately saluted:

"Your Highness Ankang, I am Duke Hu Qin Zongyong."

"Your Highness's ball skills today really opened my eyes."

Qin Zongyong smiled and greeted Princess Ankang.

Princess Ankang also stood up and saluted in return:

"Duke Hu is too polite. It's just some trivial skills."

"Alas, Your Highness, you don't know that Cuju is not a trivial skill." Qin Zongyong immediately stopped Princess Ankang's modesty.

"Cuju is an important training in the army. It has a very important impact on the strength, coordination, overall situation and strategic awareness of the soldiers."

After hearing Qin Zongyong's words, Princess Ankang was also stunned. She didn't expect that there were so many tricks in kicking a ball.

"Thank you, Duke Hu."

Princess Ankang bowed to Qin Zongyong as a student.

Qin Zongyong smiled and nodded, saying, "Your Highness is too polite. I just said it casually."

Although Qin Zongyong seemed casual, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

Then, he continued:

"I see that Your Highness is very knowledgeable about Cuju. I wonder if you are interested in coming to the army to give a lesson."

"The three-person Cuju game is very different from the formal sixteen-person Cuju. I wonder if Your Highness is interested in learning a little bit?"

Qin Zongyong actually made a slightly reckless invitation to Princess Ankang.

"This..."

Princess Ankang was slightly stunned, but quickly replied:

"Ankang is naturally interested, but I have to get my father's permission first to see if it can be arranged."

Seeing Princess Ankang's interest, Qin Zongyong laughed:

"It's good that Your Highness is interested. I will mention it to His Majesty. If there is a chance, please give me some advice."

Qin Zongyong exchanged a few more polite words with Princess Ankang, and then took the Eighth Prince away. It seems that he has something to say to him in private.

As for the people behind Qin Zongyong, they naturally followed him.

However, the two young men paid more attention to Princess Ankang, and did not even look at the Eighth Prince. They reluctantly withdrew their gaze until they left.

In response to the gaze of the two young men, Princess Ankang just nodded politely.

The two young men followed Qin Zongyong away, quietly lagging behind two steps, and began to communicate.

"Brother, His Highness Ankang seems to have never practiced, and I can't detect any fluctuations in his Qi and blood."

"Maybe he has practiced the method of holding his breath? Otherwise, that kind of power and speed is too abnormal." Another boy who was half a head taller answered.

"Could it be the same as the third brother..."

"How can there be so many peerless geniuses?"

Before the younger brother finished speaking, he was interrupted by the eldest brother.

"The third brother was born with supernatural power, with strong ribs and muscles. He was born a hundred days ago, and his innate Qi and blood power is not inferior to that of a seventh-grade warrior..."

"Such a talent is not much worse than that person."

"There won't be many people like this!"

After the eldest brother finished speaking, he took two quick steps and caught up with Qin Zongyong in front of him.

"Brother, wait for me."

Although the two young men of the Qin family had gone far away when they were talking, they did not escape Li Xuan's ears.

Li Xuan lay comfortably in the arms of Princess Ankang, but his ears had already stood up straight.

Hearing this conversation, I couldn't help but smile:

"Interesting."